BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - The first two weeks of Kelsey Pope's college career felt like two years, he said.

Pope came from Sylacauga High School, where he excelled as an option quarterback. He thought about going to Arkansas State to play safety, but Samford coach Pat Sullivan promised him the chance to start out at quarterback.

Sullivan lived up to the promise, but Pope had plenty of trouble, including with the grip of the college ball.

Not long before the season opener at Florida State in 2010, Pope got what he thought was some temporary relief. He was asked to move to wide receiver because of injuries and caught four passes for 51 yards against the highly-ranked Seminoles.

The rest is history. Pope became a four-year starter for the Bulldogs and, in Samford's 34-27 win at Wofford, Pope caught nine passes for 69 yards and broke Efrem Hill's career receptions record. Hill had 214 from 2001-04 and Pope has 218 with plenty of football left. No. 15 Samford (6-2, 4-0) is at The Citadel on Saturday at 1 p.m.

"He told me (moving to receiver) was temporary, and I've never been back to the quarterback position," Pope said. "They took my red jersey, the no-contact quarterback jersey, and after that I knew it was for real."

Pope earned freshman all-conference honors in 2010 and second-team all-conference honors in each of the last two seasons. He caught 86 passes in 2011, 68 last year. With his 35 receptions for 537 yards, Pope's in the top five in the Southern Conference in receptions per game and yards per game.

Early on, Pope thought about asking if he'd get a chance to move back to the quarterback spot, but realized he enjoyed playing, so he stuck at receiver.

"It's a blessing," Pope said. "Sometimes I think about it and whenever I got moved, I had no clue what was going to happen. I was really worried. Seeing everything now transformed what I thought was adversity then, but it was really a blessing."

The 6-foot, 202-pound Pope is scheduled to graduate next summer with a degree in public administration. When Sullivan recruited Pope, the Bulldogs were trying to recruit the best athletes to play in the Southern Conference.

And now, Pope's been one of the key players in Samford's transformation from middle-of-the-pack to a top team in the conference. The Bulldogs are the only team with an undefeated record in SoCon play.

"We thought Kelsey was just an athlete," Sullivan said. "He was an (option) quarterback. We saw him get the ball in his hands and make something happen. Like all of our kids, we try to look at their character and their competitiveness. He just fit all those bills."

Pope said he was going to commit to Arkansas State, but Sullivan convinced him to take an official visit to Samford. The visit, he said, was the best decision of his life. Moving to receiver is near the top of the list, too.

"I was frustrated for two weeks and it seemed like two years," Pope said. "It seemed like forever. It's just crazy how this stuff worked out."